Home Sweet Home
by Skyskater
Summary: Sequel to In the Looking Glass. Its gonna be a SERIES, like Harry Potter. This is only the 2nd book. So please keep R&Rng thanx so much for your support.
1. Chapter 1

Sasuke had become the captain of the ANBU squad now. He had been branded with the swirl tattoo on his arm. He was very strong, and was almost undefeatable. Sakura had become the ideal housewife/kunoichi. She was always cleaning the house thoroughly, making sure the sakura tree was well watered, and healing Sasuke's wounds whenever he came back hurt from a mission. She had kept up her ninja skills and was just as fast as Sasuke, though not as strong.

They had gotten married on July 1st, a day to remember forever. Everyone in Konoha had come, from the 5th Hokage to Naruto Uzumaki. Everyone was glad for them and they were also glad as well. Now it was July 1st of the next year, their first anniversary. And Sakura had quite a surprise for her beloved.

Sakura had a smile on her face as Sasuke came into the room they shared, the master bedroom. The Chinese fans still hung from the ceiling, and the sakura tree still stood outside their window, even though it was a bit taller. She was lying on the bed, propped up with pillows. Her emerald eyes shone with excitement and joy. Sasuke felt happy too, even though he didn't know what Sakura was smiling at. He sat down on a chair next to the bed, and waited, expectantly, for Sakura to tell him the news and the reason why she was smiling.

"Sasuke-kun...guess what?" she asked him with a smile.

"What is it, love?" he asked, his smile growing a bit wider. She touched his arm where he had been branded, while her other hand came up and touched his cheek. She looked right into his obsidian eyes and for a moment, the emerald softened.

"Sasuke...you're going to be a father..."

The words hung in the air for a moment and tears threatened to spill from the girl's eyes. She closed her eyes and smiled. Sasuke was shocked, happily so. In a shaking voice he asked her, "Really? Is this really true?"

Sakura only nodded and Sasuke was even more pleased. He was finally going to have kids, finally going to be able to teach someone how to throw shuriken and kunai, like his father used to teach him. He smiled and stroked her cheek.

The next morning, Team 7 all had training. Sasuke tried to tell Sakura that she shouldn't go, because she was pregnant, but she wouldn't hear of it. So they both left the house. They got to the designated training place 5 minutes earlier than the rest. As they waited, Sasuke rubbed her belly gently. Sakura smiled at him, at his delicate antics. Years ago he would never have done that. The other two members of Team 7 finally showed up.

Kakashi was still the master, and the 21 year olds were still the followers. Kakashi told them to spar for a while, while he finished reading the last Icha Icha Violence Special Edition. First up, it was Naruto versus Sakura. Sasuke whispered, "Be careful..." as she passed him.

"I'll be ok..." she whispered back.

_I hope I'll be ok...Naruto has gotten lots stronger..._

The two faced each other and Naruto said, "I won't go too hard on you, Sakura."

She nodded and smiled. _What IS Naruto's definition of not too hard?_

They started off with some simple kicks and punches. Then Naruto gathered up his chakra and moved so fast, Sakura couldn't see him. He kicked her from the back and she collapsed on the ground. She felt a swirling motion in her abdomen, and ran to the nearest bush and threw up. Naruto was REALLY worried...could he have hurt Sakura that much?

Sasuke was VERY worried. Was throwing up a normal part of pregnancy? Or could it...be that...Naruto had hurt her more than intended?

She emerged from behind the bush, wiping her mouth. Immediately both males rushed to her.

"Sakura are you ok? I didn't mean to hurt you that much!"

"Sakura...are you ok? Is this normal? What's happening?"

She calmed them both down, saying, "Yes, I'm ok...Naruto don't worry about it, and Sasuke, perhaps we SHOULD tell them and yes its normal."

"Tell us what?"

Sasuke nodded, signaling it was ok. After all, if they were going to be sparring, they would need to be gentle. Sakura looked at him, saying that he should be the one to spread the good news. Sasuke nodded again, saying he would do it.

"Well...Naruto...Sakura is...pregnant."

Naruto's cerulean eyes widened in shock. "That's great! I'm sure you guys will make perfect parents!"

Kakashi heard Naruto's loud outburst and jumped down from the tree he was sitting in.

"So...Sakura...you're pregnant then?"

She nodded at her sensei and a smile formed under the navy mask he always wore.

"Good for you...if that is the case, you shouldn't spar or fight in any way, shape or form. And Sasuke, you shouldn't leave her home alone...its bad."

Sasuke nodded, signaling that he understood clearly.

After the sparring was done, Sasuke and Sakura walked home, feeling content. As they got to Konoha Park, she abruptly sat down on a bench, dragging Sasuke with her.

"What is it?"

"Watch the sunset with me once..."

The sun slowly dipped behind the Hokage mountain, turning the clouds shades of purple and gold. It was the most beautiful thing they had ever experienced. As soon as the sun was down, they both set off toward the place called home again.


	2. Ramen and a Tree Stump

Home had never been so welcome before. Sometimes it was lonely, and sometimes it was just comforting. Now as they sat watching the fire crackle in the hearth and watching the embers fly up the chimney like golden angels on their way to God, it was all they needed. Soon enough Sakura fell asleep on Sasuke's shoulder, and he made the good feeling last as long as possible before picking her up gently and tucking her in their bed. Then he hopped in himself, being sure not to awaken the sleeping girl beside him. He lay under the covers embroidered with the Uchiha crest, feeling just content. Then he slipped into a sleep with a wonderful dream about how he was going to train his child.

The next morning he woke up only to find that Sakura had already left the bed. He got up and walked into the bathroom for his morning shower that woke him up thoroughly. As he stepped into the shower with the cold water pouring over him, he smelled a sweet scent of lavender. That meant Sakura had already taken a shower. As he stepped out, drying himself, he could smell the warm smells of coffee and bacon. Sakura was a good cook, enough to rival Hinata and Ino. He walked downstairs, his bangs still dripping, and sat down at the round table Sakura had brought from home. It was covered with a tablecloth with the Uchiha crest and sakura blossoms sewn on. Sakura stood with her back towards Sasuke, standing over the frying pan. There was already a cup of coffee set at both their places. Sasuke usually had over sweetened coffee, and Sakura usually had a mild blend. Her pink hair was wrapped in a navy blue towel and her skin looked warm and moist. She usually took warm showers, so the water bill was evenly balanced.

She finally turned around with two plates in her hands. She placed the right one in front of Sasuke and the left one in front of her place. They both ate methodically, like every other morning. Sasuke put his dishes in the sink and went upstairs to change his clothes. He could hear the sound of running water and the clinking of plates and forks as Sakura put the dishes away. He heard the screen door opening as she went to water the sakura tree. Then he heard a loud scream from outside. He hurried outside, his arm warmers half falling off. Then he saw it: the sakura tree had been cut down. There was nothing left but a stump. The tree was a few yards away, its petals drifting off, but it was dead. Dead as a doorknob.

Sasuke walked up behind Sakura. He could see her shoulders were trembling and drops of water were hitting the ground. He put his strong arms around her shoulders, and she immediately turned and started to cry into his black shirt. Not that it mattered. It would get dirty anyway. He could hear muffled words between sobs and bent down a bit to listen.

"I...it t...to...took s...so l..lon...long t...to g...grow t...that t...tr...tree, and...and n...now, i...it's g...gone, a...all g...gone!"

Sasuke bent down and looked directly into Sakura's teary eyes.

"Sakura...it's ok...we can always get another one."

"I...it w...won't b..be t..the s..sa...same."

"Sakura...please don't cry. I don't like it when you cry. Besides, it probably won't be good for the baby to hear you cry so soon."

Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to breath normally again. After a few minutes, she looked up and said, "You're right...I shouldn't be crying over such a small thing as a tree."

"Come on...Kakashi-sensei wants me to go to training and since I can't leave you home alone, you might as well come. Besides, Kakashi said that mild physical activity will help for a successful delivery."

The pink-haired kunoichi nodded, and they both hopped off to the designated training place.

Kakashi and Naruto were already there, which was a major surprise. The Jounin was once again reading more of that infamous orange book which was well known throughout Konoha, and Naruto was laying on the grass, staring up at the clouds and undoubtedly thinking about ramen. The minute the Jounin looked up from his book he saw them. He also saw the tearstains on Sakura's cheeks, and undoubtedly noticed how Sasuke's arm was circling around her waist protectively. Something tragic must have happened. But what?

Naruto jumped up on upon hearing their footfalls on the soft grass. He pointed at Sasuke and immediately yelled out a demand to spar with him today, and that undoubtedly he would beat him. Sasuke just smirked. Upon reaching the arena, he let go of Sakura and an intense battle between the fox demon and the Uchiha heir began. Sakura just stood facing the opposite way, away from her team, away from everything, and stood looking at the waves that battered the shore of the faroff Land of Waves. She gazed absentmindedly at the tiny dots that were people moving on the Great Naruto Bridge. That place held a lot of memories.

_Like that time when Sasuke risked his life for Naruto...That was when I cried for something I had thought was already dead...Then he was alive again and I was so happy and yet so scared..._

Kakashi stood a little distance away, holding the book up to his eye, but not really reading it. Instead...he was looking at the girl who was looking at the water that surrounded the small island. He knew she was thinking about something. But what? Could it really be that hard to guess? He knew it was something tragic...but what could be so tragic to make Sakura cry the day after her 1st anniversary?

_Hmm...what could be so precious to Sakura? So dear, that if she lost it, she would cry like this?_

_Memories? No...thats not it._

_Feelings? No...that's not possible._

_OMFG...HOW COME I DIDN'T THINK OF THIS BEFORE? WHAT IF...WHAT IF...THE DOCTOR SAID THAT...THE BABY WAS...DEAD! After all...the umbilical cord could have wrapped around its neck and choked it to death..._

Even though Naruto was fighting with Sasuke, his mind wasn't really into it. His mind was on Sakura and why she had looked so sad.

_What could she have lost? She hasn't cried in 9 years, why would she cry now? The last time she cried was when Sasuke "died"...but wait...Sasuke's right here fighting me he couldn't have died, that's an idiotic idea! Hmm...she's usually upset when she loses something precious to her...but she never cries. This must have been something that she REALLY cared about...LIKE HER BABY! Holy ramen what if she went to the doctor and found that it died!_

Kakashi slowly walked up to the girl, well, technically a woman, but in his eyes, she was still a girl. Her eyes looked distant, faraway from the Training Arena, and she was startled when Kakashi whispered in her ear, "Something you need to talk about, hm?"

She gasped, then slowly recovered her composure. She nodded slightly, then shook her head. "What is it? Scared to talk to your own sensei?"

"It's just that...well...its not exactly personal...but it meant a lot to me and I'd feel stupid talking about it..."

"Just tell me. You can tell me anything."

"Fine if you insist. It died."

_Holy does she mean her baby!_

"What died?"

"The sakura tree...It died. It got chopped down, and I spent so much care on it too."

_Thank Buddha, I would've been scared if Sakura had a DEAD baby inside her..._

Naruto and Sasuke finished their sparring, and Sasuke was surprised that it had come to a draw. He walked up to Sakura and whispered, "Ready to go home, hn?" She only nodded. Her head was leaning on his shoulder as they walked off, Sasuke throwing back a "Ja". Then out of the blue Sakura said, "Hey Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn."

"Do we have any ramen in the house?"

"Why?"

"I'm really craving some right now."


	3. A Back Massage

It was one month after their anniversary. Sakura was getting plumper, Sasuke didn't dare say fatter, for fear that the kunoichi would kick him out of the house. The baby was really taking its toll on her. She rarely got any sleep because whenever she lay down, the baby started kicking and didn't let her get rest at all. Sometimes Sasuke had to force her to sleep, rather, slip sleeping pills into her drink, which was mainly water all the time. Then she conked out right after dinner and he had to carry her upstairs. Then he was forced to do the dishes, which was a real pain, being that he didn't really know how to get the dishes into the dishwasher without clinking them. Besides, he didn't really know which tray the chopsticks went in, the upper tray or the lower one. He mentally sighed.

_Sheesh...How did Hyuuga Neji manage to do all this work when Tenten was pregnant? Then again...there are other females in the Hyuuga compound, and there's practically nobody in the Uchiha compound except for me and Sakura. But anyway...Having a kid is not that great. Yeesh...if someone could help me with housework maybe it wouldn't be so tough...I'm a GUY for God's sake, you expect ME to know how to do the dishes, how to fold laundry, how to do that stuff?_

Sakura lay awake in bed, waiting for Sasuke to come up. The bed was unusually cold that night, even though there were two blankets now that it was winter. She sighed. Having a baby was just not her cup of tea. Maybe it would be fine for Ino and Hinata, but she didn't like being confined, not being able to do the things she liked, and most importantly, not being able to sleep. That was the worst. She had known Sasuke had been trying to help her from the start, by slipping sleeping pills into her water. That didn't really work. Well...it helped her sleep, but she always woke up with a splitting headache and stomach cramps in the morning. Why she didn't know. Maybe the baby just didn't want her to sleep, but instead, give all her attention to 'it.'

_How come this kid is so...so...like younger Sasuke? Sasuke before all this happened used to be stubborn to train...never letting anybody rest. This kid is just like him. How am I supposed to live 9 months like this? Poor Sasuke...having to do laundry and all that other "woman's work"._

Sasuke finally came up to the bed, where he found Sakura still awake. "What are you doing awake, Sakura? You should be sleeping by now."

She just shook her head. _Gah...man I wish I HAD taken that water, now the cramps are just coming back, I'm a real idiot not to take the water Sasuke gave me..._

"No seriously...what's wrong, Sakura?"

Sakura suddenly felt all self-conscious and shy about herself. She knew what she wanted, her conscience was just bugging her to ask Sasuke to give her what she wanted, but for some reason her mouth seemed all dry and wouldn't talk. Finally she managed to whisper out in a choked voice,

"Sasuke-kun, could you...um...massage my back for me?"

Sasuke's eyes bugged, nearly popping out of his head. His palms started sweating. _Wait...I didn't know my palms COULD sweat... _He had never massaged a person's back before, especially not a woman's. But still he managed to nod, knowing he could not deny his wife anything.

He knew what kind of lotion she liked to use, one that soothed her aches and pains. He grabbed the bottle from the bathroom, and squeezed a little amount in his hand before saying, "Hey Sakura, I need you to take your shirt off before I can do this."

She obliged, turning her back to him and pulling her hair to the front. In the darkness he couldn' t see much of anything, so he had no bad thoughts, no bad visions, unlike Naruto or Kakashi would have. He smiled. That perverted sannin's ways were getting to the blonde. He rubbed the purple lotion into his hands, and a scent of lavender filled the room. He started rubbing her back slowly, first the upper part, then the lower part. His long and slender fingers brushed delicately against her skin, rubbing the purple lotion into her back.

_Her skin is so smooth...like a baby's..._

Sakura's emerald eyes nearly closed, then she shook herself awake again. She really tried very hard not to fall asleep, but it seemed that sleep was inevitable. Then she remembered: Sasuke needed to get his sleep also, they had training tomorrow. She really shouldn't be keeping him awake this late, she was being selfish. But she just couldn't resist.

_He's really good at this stuff...Uchihas ARE talented..._

Soon her head drooped forward and Sasuke knew she was asleep. He carefully put the light blue shirt over her sleeping form, and tucked her into the bed again. The smell of lavender was still on his hands: her smell. It was nice and smelled exactly like the real thing. Why had she asked him to massage her back in the first place? Not like the baby could be KICKING her back, could it? No...that was impossible.

_Wait...she had moaned when I got to her lower back. Could that be from the place where Naruto kicked her a month ago? I read somewhere that pregnant women are really sensitive and that they can have bruises from a wound that they had obtained a month ago. Could this be what Sakura's going through? Man...is this what it's gonna be for 9 months? Thank the Lord I'm not a woman, I wouldn't have been able to go on like this._


	4. Different

The next morning Sasuke woke up to Sakura's light breathing on his face. He looked at the alarm clock beside the bed. It was only 3:30 in the morning. He fell back asleep for a few hours, only to be awakened by the alarm clock beeping real loud. He glared eye daggers at the alarm clock, so fiercely that the poor electronical device nearly shattered into a billion pieces. There was an indent of a fist on it, but it wasn't his fist. It was Sakura's. She had probably woken up and slammed her hand down on the off button so hard it left an indent. He looked at both her hands, the palms still as smooth as cream even though they had seen much hard training. Her left hand was red and was starting to bleed. A shard of glass had gotten embedded in the side of her left hand, and it looked painful.

Carefully, he tossed the covers off of himself and went to the bathroom to get tweezers to pull the glass out. He had heard somewhere that if you didn't remove a splinter or glass within a few days, that part of your body could get infected, then amputated. He sure did not want that to happen to Sakura. Wouldn't she need both hands to carry a baby? He returned silently with the tweezers, and as gently as he could, which was none too gentle, he started to remove the small sliver of glass. Her eyeballs rolled around under the eyelids, but didn't open. Her mouth opened and she uttered a low moan of pain, almost inaudible. But Sasuke heard, and felt bad that he was causing his love pain. He hated making anybody he loved have pain, but this was necessary, right? She would probably be in even more pain if he hadn't decided to remove the annoying clear sliver.

Blood spilled out from the side of her hand, not too much, but not too little either. He didn't care that it stained the bedsheets, there was always washing to be done anyway. After all, the Uchiha compound had more than one bed that could fit 2 people. He hastily wiped away the blood and cleaned the wound. The emerald orbs slowly opened, not betraying the pain in her hand or the fact that Sasuke had just done something he had never done before: Cleaned her wound for her.

_He knows I'm a medic...he didn't have to clean my hand for me...why would he do something like that?_

Her emerald eyes followed his path as he made his way back to the other side of the bed. She detected a blush starting to form on his face. As he got into the bed again and covered himself up once again, she said, "Well well, the great Uchiha Sasuke **_BLUSHING?"_**

She rose, with a gracefulness quite unusual to her current condition. She lay a hand across her gently swollen belly, and smiled. Sasuke smiled too. Then his eyes closed and the depths of sleep captured him once more.

As Sasuke's mind drifted farther into his dream, he found the dream getting very odd indeed. VERY odd. Like...Jiraiya mixed with Orochimaru odd. His onyx eyes opened, to find he was in a hospital room. He heard the heart monitor beeping beside him. He saw Sakura beside him, sitting on a chair, emerald orbs fixed on his onyx ones. He glanced at his body, to check for wounds. An IV tube was stuck into his arm, and the clear liquid was slowly dripping into his body. His gaze followed his body further down, and to his great astonishing surprise, he was...FAT? Oh no way...the great Uchiha Sasuke, hellbent on revenge, FAT?

He felt a sudden pain shoot through his abdomen, and he yelled out, partly from pain, partly from shock. Several doctors came rushing in, each having a smile under their blue masks. One was holding a clipboard and a pencil. A curtain was put up around him, blocking Sakura from his view. The sudden pains came faster and faster, stronger and stronger, until he could take it no longer. One of the people in white coats stuck a HUGE needle into his arm, and suddenly the pain was gone. Sweat started to form on his forehead, drenching his bangs. Suddenly he felt an intense wave of pressure and screamed out in pain again. Then he heard the cry of a baby, and he fainted.

He was awakened by violent shaking. He opened his eyes and found Sakura beside him, shaking him hard. He realized that his bangs WERE drenched with sweat, and his voice was hoarse from screaming. His wife's green eyes were looking at him with worry and concern, silently asking him what his dream had been about. He stood up, and immediately found the room spinning like crazy. Then the floor came up to meet him, and he pressed his cheek against the cold tile floor. He saw Sakura kneeling next to him, felt her pulling him up. Finally he was able to stand and not feel faint.

"So...Sasuke-kun...what was all that about?"

"Oh...it was just a really bad dream I'd had."

"Anou? Tell me about it..."

"Its really stupid...you'd laugh..."

"Just tell me. If it makes you feel better, I nearly fainted when I heard you screaming I thought something bad was happening to you."

"Ok fine I'll tell you. IdreamedIwasinthehospitalwithyouandIwaspregnantthenthesedoctorscameinandthentherewasababy."

Sakura stood still, desperately trying to comprehend this sentence. Finally a smile threatened to crack her face in two.

"So THAT was what all the screaming was about...No wonder. Humor me and tell me what you looked like in your dream."

Sasuke put a hand up to his eyes, willing the memories not to haunt him forever, although he was sure if word got out in the village that he had had this dream, Naruto would remind him of it every single day. Finally he mustered up his courage and said, "Why should I tell you?"

"Oh...well...no reason really...maybe I just want to know what **_I_** will look like when that time comes."

"No. My mouth will remain closed forever."

Sakura shrugged. "Ok...fine by me."

Sasuke was surprised she had let the matter drop just like that. Usually whenever Sakura kept a matter on her mind for more than 5 minutes, she got all the facts. But now...something was very different. She had let it drop. It made Sasuke feel uncomfortable. This was different. This was new. Too new for his liking. He wrapped his arms around her gently swollen stomach protectively, possessively. His tongue traced her jaw line and she answered with a soft moan. A delicate, feeble moan. Something that proved that she was really her.

_She is her...How come I didn't trust her? Because her actions were too new...too different for me...Different is different, that's all that is. I was different 9 years ago. Now I have changed, most likely for the better. Sakura has changed also. Change can be good, or bad. Difference does not make you unwanted, it makes you special, unique. Stands you out from the rest of the crowd, the crowd that moves around all day, searching for a change of clothes, a change of personality, a change of themselves. It separates us, but in a good way. But different is not always better. This time its better...for both of us._


	5. Ohayo Moon: Sakura's Prayer

1The most ABSURD things had been inhabiting the Uchiha compound: empty ramen packets, empty hot sauce bottles, even dead crabs! Thankfully, the crabs had been a practical joke pulled off by Naruto and Kakashi.

Sasuke smiled slightly as he watched his beautiful wife turn over in bed, so she was facing him. Her breath, like mint leaves, brushed his face ever so slightly and tickled his cheeks. Her cravings had really taken a toll on the Uchihas' bank account. Their fortune was nearly depleted, because of the baby. Lately, Sakura had been craving beef ramen with hot sauce on top, and was rivaling Naruto in how much ramen they consumed a week.

Thankfully, the 9 months were nearly up, and Sasuke knew he would have to rush Sakura in to the hospital any day, at any hour. He just hoped to God that it wouldn't be any time this week. He had too many ANBU missions this week. Well...he was the captain and he could tell other people to do it, but that would require money loss on his part. Missions meant money, missing missions meant missing out on a paycheck, which Sasuke was not bound to do any time soon.

A summer breeze blew in through the open window, making Sasuke's black hair rustle slightly. Since it was the hottest months of the year, Sasuke and Sakura had no need for blankets, and the blanket with the Uchiha crest was sitting, neatly folded, on a wooden chair near the door, enabling Sasuke to see all of his wife's body. (No you pervs shes wearing clothes)

Her belly had really swelled up, to the point where it looked like she was growing a watermelon inside her. The two had already decided on godparents for their child. They had asked Tsunade if the child could have more than one set of godparents, a set that would indeed include the other members of team 7. So the paperwork was signed and it was concluded that the child's godparents would be: Hatake Kakashi, Yuuhi Kurenai (only because she had agreed to be paired up with Kakashi so she could be the godparent of somebody), Uzumaki Naruto, and Hyuuga Hinata.

Naruto and Hinata were going to be married next month, which would give Sasuke and Sakura ample time to get the baby out. The two Uchihas had already decided on names for the baby, but of course, that could all change. If it was a girl, they decided they would name it Masako. (A/N: I will explain why they choose these names in next paragraphs.) If it was a boy, they had decided they would name it Katashi.

They were planning on naming a girl baby Masako because Masako meant justice. Sasuke HAD been hellbent on revenge a few years ago, but once he realized his life didn't mean just that to him, he had been set on justice instead. He wanted everything to be good and proper, and not bend the laws, even though you could if it was right. He wanted his children to be right in the ways of life, and wanted them to have justice all the time.

Sakura had chosen the male child's name. Katashi meant firm. She wanted her children to be firm in the right way, and not to give up easily. She wanted them to continue fighting until they couldn't stand, continue fighting until they reached their dreams. She did not want them to die, of course, but if they died for the right purposes, it was considered an honor. And besides, Kakashi would be pleased to have somebody with almost the exact same name as him. But their child would definitely NOT take up the way of the mask and Icha Icha Paradise. It would be banned from the household before it even thought about doing those dreadful deeds.

Sasuke stared into the backyard of the Uchiha compound, and remembered. There were many memories that held Sakura and him together, even before they got married.

_Start Flashback_

_He had been walking through the screen door to the backyard of the Uchiha complex, a kunai in his hand. His mind was telling him to commit suicide for all the bad things he had done, and his body was actually acting like doing it. He knelt under a tree. It was supposed to be an oak tree, but it had died long ago. It had died with the rest of the Uchihas. All that was left was a trunk with branches like fingers._

_The kunai lowered to his wrist, and he smiled a sad smile. Surely nobody would miss him, with the things he had done. Naruto would have died if somebody hadn't resurrected themselves to save him. He had knocked Sakura out for no apparent reason at all, and had scarred her for life, telling her that he hated her, when that was not the case at all. _

_The blade was centimeters from his skin, and he was about to do it, until he heard a whispered prayer in the backyard adjacent to his. Sakura's house was right next to the Uchiha complex, and his sharp hearing picked up every word of the small prayer. He scooted closer to the short wall separating his house from hers, and listened intently, momentarily forgetting the blade and what he was about to do._

"_**Ohayo, Moon. Maybe tonight will be the night my prayers will not remain unanswered."**_

_Sasuke's heart was pounding and still he continued to listen._

"_**I hope that Sasuke's mind will not be consumed by evil and revenge. I pray for this every night, and the coming day never answers my prayers. He always is spiteful, full of hatred for me and Naruto. But I don't mind, because I know, in my heart, that I can never forget him, that I can always forgive him. He is not a cold-hearted person, you just have to take the time to melt him down. Moon, you don't take the time to do anything. Don't take the time to answer my prayers, don't take the time to help me to help Sasuke become a better person. I don't like it when he's emo, and your really not helping me make him anything besides that."**_

_I'm emo?_

"_**I love Sasuke...and my only wish is that he can achieve his dreams if it is for the right causes. If I have to die to stop him, so be it. My life is less important than his anyway. Sayonara, Moon. Answer my prayers."**_

_She had remained sitting outside looking at the full moon and Sasuke remained sitting in his backyard, the kunai still in his hand. Finally, he pressed just a bit harder, not slitting the artery, but enough to draw blood and create pain. He tried to muffle a moan, but failed. He saw two emerald eyes peeping over the wall, and knew Sakura had seen and heard. _

"_You...you heard didn't you?"_

"_Yes..."_

"_And still you do this to yourself! People care about you Sasuke, why would you want to kill yourself?"_

"_Because...I can't be anything like what you wanted, what you said in your prayer."_

"_You don't decide that. The Moon does."_

_Tears started to well up in her eyes, and one crystal drop hit the ground. _

"_You selfish brat! You don't even know what your saying! You can be whatever you want...you...you just don't try." Then she disappeared, leaving a very stunned Sasuke._

_End Flashback_

It was that very teardrop spot that the sakura tree had grown on. It still was there, only it was just a stump now. Sasuke owed a lot to Sakura. If he hadn't heard her prayer, if she hadn't been there and saw, then he would've died. But she had saved her life. One girl had saved his life. And he wasn't ashamed of it.


	6. Natsu Hakon Uchiha Arrives!

A scream of pain rang out of from the next room. A scream loud enough to wake up the whole village of Konoha...definitely loud enough to wake their next door neighbors: Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata. No, Naruto and Hinata had not been married yet...they were still in the process of earning enough money to buy wedding rings, wedding clothes, and invites for everyone.

Sasuke rushed to the other room where Sakura was. He found her in extreme pain...he also found that the bed sheets were extremely wet. He understood immediately, even though he had never seen it before. Sakura was in labor.

_Oh holy crap! What am I gonna do? I don't even know HOW to deliver a baby...wait...Hinata lives just next door...she's a medic nin! I should get her to help me!  
_

At that moment he heard a knock on the door that nearly drowned out Sakura's screams. He rushed to the door really quickly...without knocking anything down...which was good even for a world-class ANBU. There stood Naruto and Hinata.

"What's going on, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto asked.

" Is it...happening, Sasuke-san?" Hinata asked in that soft voice of hers.

Sasuke just nodded and led them upstairs, running all the way. Naruto and Hinata followed, Naruto a little slower, but Hinata running just as fast as Sasuke.

They found Sakura still on the bed, but her body was convulsing and sweat was running down her forehead. Her throat let out screams that suggested that her heart was being ripped in two. Hinata quickly got out a medical kit that she always had with her and started to work on Sakura, while Sasuke and Naruto just stood there dumbfounded, gaping. The blue-haired kunoichi shooed them out of the room, saying she needed the utmost concentration for this. So the two shinobi sat on two chairs outside Sasuke and Sakura's bedroom...just waiting.

Different memories were running through both their minds. What if Sakura died right now, giving birth to the baby? They were so absorbed in their memories they didn't hear the screams coming from the other side of the door, didn't hear Hinata's gentle voice consoling her, didn't hear the knocks on the front door that signaled worried Konohans willing to help. They both saw and heard their own flashbacks of their precious moments with Sakura.

_Sasuke was walking towards that bandaged mummy, that person from Sound. Kinuta Dosu, the last member of the Sound Team that had not been knocked unconscious in the Forest of Death. Sasuke had already broken Zaku's arms, and Kin had already fainted. The curse seal had already covered nearly his entire body with its black marks. The Sharingan glowed eerie red in the dimness of the Forest. Purple chakra was swirling up around his body in a miniature dust devil. Sasuke was just about to let his rage out on that creep that had tortured his teammates, when he felt something behind him. He felt a pair of arms hugging his neck, heard a voice that begged him to stop. To stop this madness. The burning marks of the curse seal receded and everything stopped. The Sound Ninja left their scroll and went away, thanking the girl that saved their lives. She, Sakura Haruno, could stop evil._

_Naruto felt intense pain as the creepy snake guy that went by the name of Orochimaru made a 5-pronged spell on his seal. The pain was blinding. He felt himself being flung through the air, felt himself falling and falling. Then he heard a "THUD" and realized that he had stopped falling. He had enough knowledge to know that it was a kunai that had pinned him to that tree. A kunai most likely thrown by Sakura. Sasuke had been frozen earlier. Dimly he heard Sakura's angry words echo throughout the forest, "You know, Naruto may be a jerk, may be an idiot. He may be getting in the way all the time. But at least he's DOING something. At least he doesn't just stop and let things happen. At any rate, he's not a COWARD like you!" _

They were snapped out of their vivid flashbacks as they heard a baby cry from the next room. Sasuke and Naruto both simultaneously gasped in relief and shock. They saw Hinata's blue head poke out the door, saw her bloodstained hand beckoning them to come in. They saw Sakura on the bed, holding her new baby and obviously very tired, but still alive. The bedsheets were soaked with blood and Sasuke knew that they wouldn't be sleeping in that bed for a VERY long time.

"Well, congratulations, Sasuke and Sakura. It's a boy."

Sasuke walked over to the bed to look down at his son. His son had large green eyes like Sakura, black hair streaked with pink, and lightly tanned skin like his. He had a shocking resemblance to Sasuke though, even for the green eyes.

"What should we name him?" Sakura asked in a voice merely more than a whisper.

"Let's name him Natsu, born in summer."

"That's a nice name, Natsu Uchiha..."

"What's his middle name though?"

"Why don't we say his middle name is Hakon...it means Grateful."

Sasuke just nodded.

"Welcome to the family, Natsu Hakon Uchiha..." he said before drifting off to sleep in a chair by the bed.

"Natsu Hakon Uchiha...be Grateful always...and always remember the day you were born in the summer, August 8..." Sakura whispered to her new child before she too drifted off to sleep.

Naruto and Hinata just smiled upon the lovely new family. Then their faces immediately turned to ones of anguish and despair. They were NEVER going to make it out of the Uchiha complex without getting run over by any number of reporters and curious Konohans wanting more information to spread the gossip, including most likely Hatake Kakashi, Umino Iruka, Maito Gai, Yuhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Asuma, The 5th Hokage, Rock Lee (they both shuddered at this thought) and probably all of their teammates like Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Neji, Tenten, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji, and probably even Naara Shikamaru, if he hadn't been too lazy to get out of bed in the middle of the night. They both sighed with disgust..."We should spend the night here," said Hinata and Naruto at the same time. So they found another bedroom separate from Sasuke and Sakura's and slept, not bothering to get up to open the door for all the knocking.


End file.
